Johnis hurried up the last part of the hill, bent over in a crouch. Standard battle guards made of leather covered his forearms and his thighs, but he preferred a blue tunic rather than the chest protectors that many of the Forest Guard wore. A month ago this young man had never seen a sword swung in battle. Now his forearm and calf guards were scarred from head-to-head confrontation with Horde.

Seeing him scramble up the knoll ahead of her, Silvie was struck by his transformation in such a short time. His skin was darkened by the desert sun, highlighting cords of muscle in his legs and arms. He might only be sixteen, but he looked much older now—in her mind he was the best of any man she’d met.

She had opted for a dark leather skirt with thigh guards. Her blonde, tangled hair was drawn back to clear her eyes. Wide wrist-bands broke the line between her well-toned arms and her small hands. “Delicate,” Johnis called them once. Never mind that they could wield any weapon with more power and accuracy than his, which weren’t large by any unit of measure.

They both wore the same leather boots that had taken them into the Black Forest on two occasions now.

“Slow down,” she’d demanded ten minutes earlier.

“I’ll slow down when I can make sense of this world,” he had said. “We’re losing light!” And he had been right; the sun was setting.

“Don’t rush into another trap.”

That had slowed him some, but now he could hardly control his enthusiasm. He scrambled up the sandy slope that rose above the road and flung himself to his elbows at the top. Silvie dropped in beside him and looked at the road below.

A wide road built of black stone ran over the desert, split by a straight white dash. A building with a large black and red sign marked by the word TEXON stood on this side of the road, and two of the buggies were situated next to what looked like upright feeding troughs.

Having drunk its fill, one of the buggies pulled out onto the road to resume its journey.

“Dear Elyon,” Johnis muttered.

Silvie glanced at him and saw that his jaw hung open. His eyes weren’t on the feeding station, rather on the road beyond and on the speeding buggies that flew over the road on wheels that looked like they were floating.

“It’s magic!” Johnis cried.

“Or worse,” Silvie agreed.

“But they aren’t animals. They’re made out of solid material. I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“What did I tell you? They look dangerous.”

“That’s never stopped you before.”